Maulana Karenga facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maulana Karenga
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Karenga in 2011
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Ronald McKinley Everett
July 14, 1941 Parsonsburg, Maryland, U.S.
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| Spouse(s) | Brenda Lorraine "Haiba" Karenga (divorced) Tiamoyo Karenga (1971–) |
Maulana Ndabezitha Karenga (born Ronald McKinley Everett, July 14, 1941) is an American activist, author, and professor. He is most famous for creating Kwanzaa, a special holiday for people of African heritage.
Karenga was born in Parsonsburg, Maryland. He studied at Los Angeles City College and the University of California, Los Angeles. In the 1960s, he was active in the Black Power movement. He joined groups like the Congress of Racial Equality. In 1965, Karenga helped start a group called US Organization. He was later imprisoned in California until 1975.
In 1966, Karenga created Kwanzaa. He based it on African "first fruit" traditions. The holiday celebrates African culture and traditions. It includes "seven principles of African heritage." At first, Karenga said Kwanzaa was an alternative to Christmas. He later changed his view. He stated Kwanzaa was not meant to replace anyone's religion.
Karenga has earned two doctorate degrees. One was in Political Science in 1976. The other was in Social Ethics in 1994. Today, he leads the Africana Studies Department. This is at California State University, Long Beach. He has also written many books.
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Maulana Karenga's Early Life
Karenga was born in Parsonsburg, Maryland. He was the 14th child in his family. His father was a tenant farmer and a Baptist minister. The family worked on farms together. In 1959, Karenga moved to Los Angeles. He joined his older brother there. He attended Los Angeles City College.
At college, he became active in civil rights. He joined groups like the Congress of Racial Equality. He also became interested in African studies. He was the first African-American student president at LACC. After getting his first degree, he went to the University of California, Los Angeles. He earned two more degrees in political science. He studied Swahili and other African subjects. During this time, he chose the name Karenga. It means "keeper of tradition" in Swahili. He also took the title Maulana, meaning "master teacher."
The US Organization's Role
After the Watts riots, a group called the Black Congress was formed. It aimed to rebuild the community. Karenga was part of a discussion group within it. This group focused on black nationalism. In 1966, they formed the US Organization. The group worked on community programs. Karenga was influenced by Malcolm X's ideas. He wanted to promote African culture.
The US Organization developed a youth group. It was called the Simba Wachanga. This group focused on community self-defense. In 1966, Karenga started a newspaper. It was called Harambee. It became the newspaper for the Los Angeles Black Congress.
During the late 1960s, the US Organization had disagreements. They had different views from the Black Panther Party. These disagreements sometimes led to conflict.
Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Heritage
Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966. It was meant to be the first pan-African holiday. His goal was to give Black people a holiday. It would help them celebrate their own history. It would also help them celebrate themselves.
Kwanzaa is inspired by African "first fruit" traditions. The name comes from Swahili. It means "matunda ya kwanza." The holiday's traditions promote African culture. They also promote Nguzo Saba. These are the "seven principles of African Heritage." Karenga described them as an African philosophy.
- Umoja (unity)—To work for and keep unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
- Kujichagulia (self-determination)—To define ourselves and speak for ourselves.
- Ujima (collective work and responsibility)—To build our community together. To make our problems shared problems.
- Ujamaa (cooperative economics)—To build and keep our own businesses. To profit from them together.
- Nia (purpose)—To make our main goal the building of our community. This helps restore our people's greatness.
- Kuumba (creativity)—To always do our best. To leave our community better than we found it.
- Imani (faith)—To believe in our people, parents, teachers, and leaders. To believe in our struggle's victory.
Maulana Karenga's Later Career
After his time in prison, Karenga restarted the US Organization. He gave it a new structure.
He earned his first PhD in 1976. It was in leadership and human behavior. In 1977, he created a set of ideas called Kawaida. This is a Swahili term meaning "normal." Karenga encouraged African-Americans to adopt his ideas.
He also directed the Kawaida Institute for Pan African Studies. He has written several books. One important book is Introduction to Black Studies. It is a textbook about Black/African Studies. It was first published in 1982. In 1984, he helped organize a conference. This conference led to the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations.
In 1994, he earned a second PhD. It was in social ethics. In 1995, he helped organize the Million Man March. He also wrote its mission statement.
In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante included Maulana Karenga. He put him on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans.
As of 2023, Karenga leads the Africana Studies Department. This is at California State University, Long Beach.
Films Featuring Maulana Karenga
- Owen Alik Shahadah's documentary 500 Years Later (2005)
- Its sequel Motherland (2010)
- M.K. Asante's documentary The Black Candle (2012)
Books by Maulana Karenga
- Introduction to Black Studies. 2010, 4th edition.
- Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture. 1998.
- Maat, The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt.
- Odu Ifa: The Ethical Teachings.
- Kawaida and Questions of Life and Struggle.
- Selections from the Husia.
- Book of Coming Forth By Day.
- Handbook of Black Studies, co-edited with Molefi Kete Asante.
- The Million Man March/Day of Absence: A Commemorative Anthology, co-edited with Haki Madhubuti.
- Maulana Karenga: An Intellectual Portrait, Polity.
